Mechanism for elevating and separately discharging bowling balls and pins



28, 1962 K. c. SHERMAN 3,051,483

MECHANISM FOR ELEVATING AND SEPARATELY DISCHARGING BOWLING BALLs ANDPINS Original Filed Aug. 2, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG-3 5 INVEN TORKENNETH C. SHERMAN ATTORNEYS Aug. 28,

Original Filed Aug.

K. C. SHERMAN MECHANISM FOR ELEVATING AND SEPARATELY DISCHARGING BOWLINGBALLS AND PINS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2' FIG-2 an IIIIIIIIIIIIH INVENTOR KENNETHC.SHERMAN ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofifice 3,051,483 Patented Aug.28, 1962 3,051,483 MECHANISM FOR ELEVATING AND SEPARATE- LY DISCHARGINGBOWLING BALLS AND PINS Kenneth C. Sherman, Glen Burnie, Md., assignor toSherman Enterprises, Inc., Worcester, Mass., a corporation ofMassachusetts Original application Aug. 2, 1955, Ser. No. 526,033, newPatent No. 2,920,891, dated Jan. 12, 1960. Divided and this applicationJan. 7, 1960, Ser. No. 975

2 Claims. (Cl. 27343) This application is a division of my copendingapplication Serial No. 526,033, filed August 2, 1955, for Bowling PinSetting Machine, now Patent No. 2,920,891. The invention relates to anelevator adapted to pick up balls or pins, one at a time, delivered toits foot and to deliver the balls to a ball return and the pins toconveyor or other device by which they are arranged to deposit in properformation on an alley. For a more complete understanding of theinvention reference may be had to the following description thereof, andto the drawings of which FIGURE 1 is a rear elevational view of theupper portion of an elevator embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of the same;

FIGURE 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 1, on a larger scale;and

FIGURE 5 is a section on the line 55 of FIGURE 1, on a larger scale.

The elevator with its associated mechanism is mounted at the rear end ofthe alley pit on the main frame of the pin setting machine of which itis a part. When the machine is in operation, the elevator is driven byan electric motor (not shown) to which it is connected by a chain 39.The chain drives a sprocket-Wheel on a shaft 40 at the top of theelevator.

Mounted on the shaft 40 are two sprocket wheels (not shown) over whichpass two elevator chains 42. Two other elevator chains 43 pass oversprocket wheels 44 on a shaft 45 at the top of the elevator. The shaft40 carries a spur gear 46 which drives another spur gear 47 of twice thediameter on a shaft 48. On the other end of this shaft is a sprocketwheel 49. A chain 50 passes over the sprocket Wheel 49 and drives asprocket wheel 51 half the size of the wheel 49 mounted on the shaft 45.This ensures the two sets of elevator chains operating in unison. Eachpair of chains 42 and 43 carry a series of spaced lift bars 52. Theselift bars operate in pairs, a bar on the chains 42 being opposite acorresponding bar on the other chains 43 during their upward movements.The top surface 53 of each lift bar 52 when it is ascending is slightlyinclined from the ends to a low point at its middle (FIGURE 2) so as tocenter the ball or pin elevated thereby. .The central portion of eachbar 52 has a projecting lip 52 the face of which is inclined to receiveand support the body of a bowling pin. The end portions of each bar arevertically grooved to run on vertical rails 54 so as to maintain thelift bars of each pair in accurate spaced relation.

The spacing between the lift bars of each pair is such that each pinelevated thereby assumes an upside down position regardless of whetherthe head or butt of the pin reaches the elevator first.

When the balls and pins in the pit are carried rearward to the foot ofthe elevator, they are lifted in succession by pairs of lift bars 52until they reach a ball kick-off device or a pin kick-off device, thelatter being higher up. As the ball is being lifted by a pair of bars52, it rocks a pair of opposed fingers 55, each of which is mounted on arock shaft 56 which extends through rail members 54 and has a crank end57. The two crank ends 57 normally engage a latch 58 which is pivoted tothe lower end of a kick-off lever 60 which has a yokeshaped upper endand a channeled lower portion. This lever rocks loosely on a shaft 61(FIGURE 4). Fixed on the shaft 61 between the arms of the yoke are a dog62 and an arm 63, the latter having an offset end portion with a camedge 64. A pin 65 on a slide bar 66 in the channeled portion of thelever 60 rides on the cam edge 64 as the arm 63 is rockedcounterclockwise from the position shown in FIGURE 4. As the pin 65rides to the low part of the cam 64, the bar 66 slides downward so thatthe upper end of the slide bar moves out of the path of the dog 62. Whenthe crank ends 57 are moved clear of the latch 58 by a ball which isbeing lifted by the elevator, the latch is rocked by a spring 67 so thatits nose 68 moves into the path of a shoulder 69 on the slide bar 66 sothat the latter cannot move downward when the arm 63 rocks with theshaft 61. The upper end of the slide bar 66 is thus kept in the path ofthe dog 62 which thereupon rocks the kick-off lever 60 against therestoring force of a spring 69a, and ejects the ball from the elevatoronto a ball return 70. The shaft 61 is rocked by a spur gear 71 thereonwhich meshes with a rack 72 oscillated by a bell crank 73 pivoted at 74and connected by a rod 75 to a crank-pin 76 on the gear wheel 47. Thelatter turns once for every two revolutions of the gear wheel 46 and theshaft 40'. Since two revolutions of the shaft 40 are required to advancethe elevator chains a distance equal to the spacing between successivelift bars, the kick-off lever opera-ting mechanism makes a workingstroke every time a pair of lift bars pass the fingers 55. If a ball ison these lift bars, the kick-off lever rocks to eject it as hereinbeforedescribed. A pin on the lift bars is not wide enough to touch thefingers 5'5 and therefore continues to travel upward to a pin ejectingmechanism.

The pin ejecting mechanism is a loosely hung lever 77 which is rocked bya finger 78 secured to a rock shaft 79. This shaft is rocked by the rack72 which meshes with a pinion 80 on the shaft 79. The rack 72 is held inmesh with the pinions 71 and 80 by guide rolls '82.

The mechanisms for actuating the levers for ejecting the balls and pinsfrom the elevator are driven from the same source of power and arecarefully timed so that they operate only when lift bars of the elevatorreach positions in which a ball or pin thereon is in the proper positionto be struck by the appropriate lever.

I claim:

1. In combination, a bowling alley having a pit at its far end, anelevator arranged to receive balls and pins in said pit, said elevatorcomprising endless chains having opposed vertical reaches and pairs ofopposed lift bars spaced at intervals along the chains and cooperatingto elevate single balls or pins, a ball return adjacent to saidelevator, means for selectively ejecting balls from the elevator to theball return and allowing pins to be elevated further, and means at ahigher level than the ball ejector for ejecting pins from said elevator,said ball-ejecting means including a rock shaft constantly rocking intimed relation to the upward travel of said lift bars, an arm looselydepending from said shaft and swingable between the reaches of theelevator chains toward said ball reutrn, and means responsive to contactby a ball being lifted by said elevator to operatively connect said armto said rock shaft for a ball-ejecting stroke.

2. In combination, a bowling alley having a pit at its far end, anelevator arranged to receive balls and pins in said pit, said elevatorcomprising endless chains having opposed vertical reaches and pairs ofopposed lift bars spaced at intervals along the chains and cooperatingto elevate single balls or pins, a ball return adjacent to said leverdepending from said shaft and loosely rockable.

thereon, a slide bar carried by said lever along a side thereof andlongitudinally slidable thereon from an upper position tota lowerposition relative to said lever, a pin on said slide bar near the upperend thereof, a dog and an arm fixed on said shaft to rock therewith,said dog being arranged to engage said bar when the bar is in its upperposition so as to rock said bar and lever to eject a ball from saidelevator, said arm having a cam edge engaged by said pin and shaped torelease said bar to its lower position out of the path of said dog whensaid arm rocks, a latch pivoted to the lower end portion of said leverand rockable to engage said slide bar to hold it in its upper position,a spring normally biasing said latch towards said slide bar, and meansengageable by a bowling ball on said elevator to release said latch formovement into bar-engaging position whereby said bar is held in itsupper position during the next rocking movement of the dog and arm andthe lever is rocked by 10 said dog to eject the ball from the elevator.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,668,665 White May 8, 1928 Parra et a1. Feb. 8, 1944 Troiano Sept. 1,1959

